Exotron is the first story for the fifth Doctor to get the three plus one treatment. Following on from I.D this story is much more enjoyable and seems to fit this format better. This story has been written by Paul Sutton who has a good track record, his previous works include Thicker Than Water and Arrangement for War. This story is essentially about a colony with some big robots and totally out of left field, a love story. This is also the first Fifth Doctor and Peri story (without Erimem) since Red Dawn. It makes a change to not have Erimem in the story but that’s not to say I want it to be a permanent thing. The single best thing that stood out for me was the revelation as to where all the exotrons have come from. We soon learn that they are actually humans that are keeping their lives going but not as was intended. I found this a totally bizarre plot point but somehow it doesn’t seem silly.
Peter Davison is very good in this story. In fact I would go so far to say that its his best story for quite sometime. He seems to enjoy himself as he winds up Taylor. He also has a natural friendship with Nicola Bryant which shines through. To be honest it would probably be better for Davison’s Doctor that he does have more stories with Peri on her own because it would freshen things up and we would get a different performance from Davison. Nicola Bryant is also very good as Peri. She sounds exactly the same as she did back on TV. She does seem to have lost a bit of her whiney nature but it is still essentially Peri.
John Duttine is just one of the big names in this story, having appeared in the Day of the Triffids he plays Hector in this story. He is very good in this because he plays the typical leader but ultimately has a weak side and Duttine revels in the role. Isla Blair plays his ex-wife Paula who starts off disliking her former husband for perfectly rational reason slowly starts to fall for him again and this was quite a sweet thing. Blair plays the role really well and was a joy to listen to. Nick Brimble plays Shreeni. Brimble has recently been in Emmerdale but perhaps is best known for appearing in the House of Cards series. Shreeni like all the other characters is a well written and nice character. Other people worthy of mention include Richard Earl as Corporal Mozz and Claire Wyatt as Weiss.
The single part story sees three people from the Gallifreyan Celestial Intervention Agency plotting the death of the Doctor. They reminisce on the circumstances of their encounter with the Doctor and each version is different to the other. It was more of a comedy than in Exotron which was nice. It was strange to see a different side to Peri and the Doctor. As the listener we know that what the Doctor is being accused of isn’t true so we are able to enjoy it for what it is.
Steven Wickham, who has appeared in several Big Finish plays in the past is playing the CIA officer called Harom with Douglas Hodge as Edge and Nicola Lloyd as Kettoo. Also there is Barry McCarthy as Palgrave and Clare Calbraith who appears as Trooper.
Paul Sutton has written a really nice sold play. I had my doubts following Urgent Calls but this has restored my faith (almost). I do think that this is his best work to date but obviously there may be other people who disagree with that. Barnaby Edwards has done a good job with this story and been able to work on the problems that showed up in I.D. Edwards hasn’t directed a story since Doctor Who and the Pirates back in 2003. The gap didn’t really show as he managed to keep the pace going and the interest at top level throughout.
As a release I think that both stories are really really good. Exotron has a nice plot with some well written characters and it goes along at a nice pace which is helped with the three part format. Urban Myths is a superb story which manages to work within the restrictions of 25 minutes. I didn’t like Urgent Calls and still think that 25 minutes isn’t long enough to tell a really good story but Urban Myths I think will be the exception rather than the rule.
Peter Davison is very good in this story. In fact I would go so far to say that its his best story for quite sometime. He seems to enjoy himself as he winds up Taylor. He also has a natural friendship with Nicola Bryant which shines through. To be honest it would probably be better for Davison’s Doctor that he does have more stories with Peri on her own because it would freshen things up and we would get a different performance from Davison. Nicola Bryant is also very good as Peri. She sounds exactly the same as she did back on TV. She does seem to have lost a bit of her whiney nature but it is still essentially Peri.
John Duttine is just one of the big names in this story, having appeared in the Day of the Triffids he plays Hector in this story. He is very good in this because he plays the typical leader but ultimately has a weak side and Duttine revels in the role. Isla Blair plays his ex-wife Paula who starts off disliking her former husband for perfectly rational reason slowly starts to fall for him again and this was quite a sweet thing. Blair plays the role really well and was a joy to listen to. Nick Brimble plays Shreeni. Brimble has recently been in Emmerdale but perhaps is best known for appearing in the House of Cards series. Shreeni like all the other characters is a well written and nice character. Other people worthy of mention include Richard Earl as Corporal Mozz and Claire Wyatt as Weiss.
The single part story sees three people from the Gallifreyan Celestial Intervention Agency plotting the death of the Doctor. They reminisce on the circumstances of their encounter with the Doctor and each version is different to the other. It was more of a comedy than in Exotron which was nice. It was strange to see a different side to Peri and the Doctor. As the listener we know that what the Doctor is being accused of isn’t true so we are able to enjoy it for what it is.
Steven Wickham, who has appeared in several Big Finish plays in the past is playing the CIA officer called Harom with Douglas Hodge as Edge and Nicola Lloyd as Kettoo. Also there is Barry McCarthy as Palgrave and Clare Calbraith who appears as Trooper.
Paul Sutton has written a really nice sold play. I had my doubts following Urgent Calls but this has restored my faith (almost). I do think that this is his best work to date but obviously there may be other people who disagree with that. Barnaby Edwards has done a good job with this story and been able to work on the problems that showed up in I.D. Edwards hasn’t directed a story since Doctor Who and the Pirates back in 2003. The gap didn’t really show as he managed to keep the pace going and the interest at top level throughout.
As a release I think that both stories are really really good. Exotron has a nice plot with some well written characters and it goes along at a nice pace which is helped with the three part format. Urban Myths is a superb story which manages to work within the restrictions of 25 minutes. I didn’t like Urgent Calls and still think that 25 minutes isn’t long enough to tell a really good story but Urban Myths I think will be the exception rather than the rule.
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